John Terry admits thought of facing this man used to give him sleepless nights

Throughout his career John Terry has not been a defender to be easily ruffled, but the Chelsea captain has admitted to the Chelsea Fans Channel, as quoted by the London Evening Standard, that the thought of facing Arsenal striker Thierry Henry used to give him sleepless nights.

Terry has amassed over 700 first-team appearances for the Blues in an 18-year professional career, as well as winning 78 caps for England and captaining the country for nearly five years.

Despite that experience, however, the 35-year-old has admitted that even when he was at the height of his powers he "dreaded" having to play against Henry, who scored 10 goals in total against Chelsea in his time at the Gunners.

Terry told the Chelsea Fans Channel, as quoted by the Standard: "Thierry Henry had everything. The night before games I’d have sleepless nights.

"But he was a real gentleman off the field, as well. He’d always praise me and said things to encourage my game and help me along. But as a player, he had everything, I dreaded playing against him."

The battle between Henry and Terry was one which typified the rivalry between the two London clubs last decade, as both sides fought to assert their superiority on English football.

The two players also faced each other once when Henry was at Spanish giants Barcelona when the sides met in the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2009.

In the first leg, Terry got the better of the Frenchman as Chelsea held Barca to a goalless draw at the Nou Camp, but there was ultimately heartbreak for the Blues as the Spanish side, without Henry, advanced on away goals thanks to Andres Iniesta's injury-time strike.

Tom Nightingale

After starting to write about football due to lack of any great ability on the pitch, Tom is an NCTJ-qualified sports reporter who has written for Swansea City, the Birmingham Mail, and numerous other publications. An avid Aston Villa fan, he still hasn't got over them not turning up in the 2015 FA Cup final.